Fish-inclosure



(NoModel.) y

W. H. TURNER.

FISH INCLOSURB.

No. 313.458. Patented Mar. 3. 1885.

Nl PETERS. Phexufliuwgmpner. wnhmgwn. l!A c.

turen artisans Parisist @erica WILLIAM H. TURNER, OFIUARTINSVILLE, OHIO.

Fiss-inincnosuae.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 313,458, dated March 3, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, W. H. TURNER, of Martinsville, in the countyof Clinton and State of Ohio, have invented certain Improvements in Ponds for the Propagation and Keeping of Fish; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a perspective view generally illustrating my improvements. i Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a supplemental inclosure wherein to feed the iish and to catch them, the sides being cut away to show the interior construction. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the supplemental inclosure, showing the screen which secures the fish in solid lines against the bottom and side and in dotted lines raised to catch the fish. y

My invention relates to artificial ponds for use in propagating and keeping fish in a manner whereby they can be fed and caught with facility and the pond be protected from undesirable inilowing water.

My invention consists of sundry details of construction, all of which will be fully hereinafter described, and specically pointed out in the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art may make and use my invention, I proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is the pond proper,

so constructed that its upper edge is above the,

surface of the water, and c c are gutters or grooves extending inthe line of the flow of the water, as indicated by the arrows, alongside the upper edges of the pond. The gutters or grooves a c act as drains to carry off the surface-water not needed to ll the pond, and through which the washings and debris from the sides or above the pond may be carried by and below the pond instead of passing into and lling it up. On each side, near the head of the pond, are openings through the wall or sides of the pond from gutters a a, as seen at b b, the said openings being covered by netting, and each furnished with a water-gate, (l d. By opening the water-gates d d water will, when desired and in proper condition, flow through openings b b into the pond. In times of freshets and at other times when the water is not needed in the pond the water-gates are kept closed. lIhe openings e c, covered with net-work at the lower end of the pond, will allow all surplus water to flow out of the pond, and yet not run indiscriminately over its edges and wash the sides or banks of the pond. At thelower end of the pond,and connected therewith by a netless opening, controlled bya sliding gate, f, operated by lever g, I construct a supplemental inclosure or small pond, B, wherein the fish may be habitually fed, in order to accustom them to passing through the opening beneath gate f. The bottom of the supplemental inclosure B is provided with a false movable bottom of wire-netting, h, one edge of which is hinged to a section of wirenetting, t', as seen at i. The section t' in the direction of the pintle of the hinge has the same dimension as the section of netting h, but in the opposite direction has less dimension. rI`he edge of netting-section i opposite to the hinge t" is hinged to the vertical wall of supplemental inclosure B at 7c, thus forming a sort of hinged netted false bottom, one end of which is hinged to the wall at lc, as aforesaid, and the opposite end free and engaging with two loops, Z Z, which in turn are secured to cordsl, passing up overa cross-bar, m, supported in line with the wall by means of two posts, n n, and thenceto a winch or windlass, D, located at any convenient point. By turning the windlass D the cords are pulled and the hinged netting bottom is drawn upward to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3,` whereupon the fish that may have been raised by the netting can with ease be caught or eX- amined, the door f having been closed prior to the raisingof the false bottom. By using the posts n n and the cross-bar m the false bottom is made to move with its free end hugging close to the wall as it moves, so no fish can pass downward over the edge. At the bottom of the receptacle B or inclosure for catching and examining the fish is a spout, F, in the end of which is screwed a plug, p, provided with a hasp, p, adapted to engage over a staple, q, on the spout E, so that any amount of water can be retained in B, and the plug can be secure against accidental or malicious draining of the pond. The false netting bottom should normally remain on the bottom of the supplemental inclosure and gate f remain IOO open, so the fish may always be fed inside of B, and at no other place. Vhen it is desired to catch or examine any ofthe fish,a little food is thrown into the inolosure B, which will bring in the sh. Gatef is then closed and the false bottom lifted, and the ish treated as desired.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The pond A, provided with an inelosingwall and adjacent gutters c@ ce, in combination With connecting openings and controllinggates, for the purposedeseribed.

2. The pond A, in combination with asupplemental ino1osure,-B, provided with a outof gate, f, pivoted lever g, and spout E, all

constructed and arranged to operate as set forth.

Closure B, in combination with a hinged foraminous bottom, It i, and hoisting devices, for the purpose specified.

4. The false bottoni, jointed at i' and hinged at k, having one free end, and the hoisting devices, in combination with posts un and crossbar m, to force the edge ofthe false bottom to hug the wall, as set forth.

WILLIAM H. TURNER.

Vitnesses:

J. E. Birrrs, C. C. MORE.

3. The inelosure A and supplelnental in- 

